CHAPTER XXXVII.
Negroes: A little change for the better--"Shadows nursed by night retire"--Respect to age--Filial affection--Generosity-- Their kindness to the poorer class of whites--Cleanliness--the opposite vice--Behaviour at church--A black exhorter--Reading and writing--An anecdote.
I am happy to find that at length I have got over the most prominent vices of the negroes. I must say I have a great love for my species, of whatever shade they may be, and I would at any time rather have to paint their virtues than their vices. But, alas for human nature! the latter are by far the most numerous, or else "men's _evil_ manners live in _brass_, their _virtues_ we write in _water_." To relieve ourselves for a little from the dreadful deeds of blood which have so lately engaged our attention, let us turn from the "shadows," and try to pick out of the negro character something a little pleasanter--something which, if we are forbidden to term virtues, we may, at least, give them the appellation of good qualities.
In pursuance of our plan, I think we may mention filial affection, and the respect they pay it. It is but seldom that a child will behave ill to its parent; on the contrary, they generally do for them whatever lies in their power. Age, too, is particularly venerated; and the noisy little negroes at their sport will stop while one of their old people are passing, with "How d'ye, marm?" and "How d'ye, me pic'nee?" is the courteous reply. Generosity may also be mentioned among the "lights" of their character. When they see one of their own class in distress, they generally relieve them to the extent of their ability, and to their sorrows turn a listening ear. When any of their friends or relatives die, they commonly have some little offering to make to assist in defraying the expenses of the funeral. Sometimes they will carry a bottle of wine or porter-- sometimes bread and cheese, or a few biscuits, &c.; but however small the article is, it is always gratefully received, for this feasting at a funeral is as necessary to their idea of etiquette as giving the corpse a shroud or a coffin.
Nor do negroes always confine their generosity to their own colour, of which I can give a striking example. It is true, it does not much concern either "Antigua" or "the Antiguans," but I have already apologized for wandering out of my path, and this comes so _apropos_, that I cannot refrain from mentioning it. In the course of my peregrinations through different parts of the world, it has been my fate to meet with many deplorable objects-- the half-starved diseased negroes--the dirty emaciated North American Indians, and their miserable squaws, (as they term their wives,) suffering from the effects of the alcohol they purchase from their white brethren at the expense of their domestic joys-- the ragged, quarrelsome "wild Irish," "the finest _pisantry_ in the world," in their own estimation--the deformed and almost naked beggars of England; but in all my travels I never saw so truly wretched a class, taking them altogether, as the poor white inhabitants of Barbados. I never shall forget the appearance they presented to my eyes upon my first visit to "Little England," as the Barbadians in their pride call their pleasant little island. From the intense heat of the sun, and their constant exposure to its rays, their complexions are changed from a natural white to a fiery red. The women allow their long hair to float all down their backs, and be blown about by every zephyr. This may sound very pretty in poetry, but it is anything but pretty in _real life_, particularly when we take into consideration the colour and state of these locks; the fervent kisses of the "great luminary" has changed them into the appearance of dirty flax, while their disordered and matted condition brings the idea forcibly to your mind, that they have seldom, if ever, undergone the ordeal of "brush and comb." With respect to their persons, they are, generally, almost in a state of nudity, or their dress is put on in such a manner that it leaves you with that impression; no shoes or stockings envelope their feet, while their meagre, attenuated forms altogether produce an effect which no pen can accurately describe.
The men look even worse than the women, for to their squalid appearance they add the air of a "Regent-street lounger." Their castors stand in great want of "Rowland's Macassar," as well as Dr. Winn's "true anticardiam," which engages to make _old_ articles look like _new_; the original size has gradually diminished until it is almost insufficient to cover their pericranium, while the form beats in distortion those to be daily seen in the shop-windows of "Lloyd." This _elegant_ article of dress is placed upon _one side_ of the head, while on the other protrudes a huge mass of disordered hair. With regard to the other articles of clothing, they bear anything but the marks of taste, their coats being generally "out at elbows," and partly devoid of collars, their trousers reaching about half down their legs, and the use of shoes and stockings dispensed with; a short stick denominated a "two _foot_ two" swings from their hands, and then the costume is complete. Their houses are as dirty as their persons, and from their incurable habits of idleness, starvation is often their fate. To these poor unfortunates, the Barbadian negroes are known to step forth as their guardian angels; they will work for them, feed them, clothe them, and often shelter them from the weather, and all this is done without the slightest wish or prospect of receiving remuneration; their generosity in some instances knows no bounds, and they will attend to their every want with the kindness and affection of a parent. Although we have no such miserable objects in Antigua, still I am persuaded that, were it the case, the negroes of this island would not be behind their Barbadian brethren in these acts of charity; for whenever any European sailors get out of employ, and wander about the streets in a state of misery, (although brought on by their own misdemeanour in most instances,) the Antiguan negroes extend to them their bounty, taking them to their houses and giving them food, and not unfrequently small sums of money.
Next to generosity, cleanliness (in most instances) may be ranked among their good qualities. Those who have any regard to appearance make frequent use of water, which, in this climate, is particularly conducive to good health; and they are careful to make their children follow their example in this particular. In their houses they are also very cleanly, and their culinary articles are kept with the greatest care. They are very fond of sending presents of eatables to their acquaintance, (such as portions of their breakfast or dinner, &c., particularly house-servants;) and when this is the case, they always pay some regard to appearance. A clean white towel is wrapt round it, whatever the viands may be; and if soup forms a part, it is sure to be sent in a smart-coloured cup, with a cover. Sundays are the principal days on which such presents are sent; and an observer may often catch the little messengers peeping into the utensil which contains the savoury mess, or tasting it, by inserting one or more of their fingers, at the hazard of receiving a flogging, should the tidings reach the donor's ears.
It must, however, be allowed, that all negroes are not celebrated for their purity of habits; on the contrary, there are many exceptions among the indolent, and these present an appearance painful to behold. Among the men, all the money they can procure is spent upon that plague of the West Indies, "new rum;" consequently, what they wear is of no importance to them. They are, indeed, in a state bordering upon nakedness; and the filthy manner in which they keep their persons renders them disgusting in the extreme. A small insect, which is called a _chegoe_, or, as the negroes express it, "jigger," gets into their feet; and if not extracted in time, makes its nest and breeds in the flesh. The dirty and indolent beings I am now describing allow these insects to breed so fast, and remain until they attain to such a size, that it is impossible for them to be taken out; and the consequence is, they feed upon the flesh, until the feet are in such a state, that they are often obliged to suffer amputation as far as the knee. Again--the dirt which they allow to remain upon them for so long a time, produces various horrible complaints, which, in the end, also call for the knife of the surgeon. This latter class of persons meet with the abhorrence of all their tribe, who never fail to express their contempt whenever they meet; and was it not for the humane conduct of the Rev. R. Holberton, (whose name must often occur in "Antigua and the Antiguans,") by seeking them out, and getting them admitted into the lazaretto, (which owes its origin to his exertions,) many must expire in the open roads.
But to return to the good qualities of the negroes. Another thing worthy of remark is, the quiet and decorous manner in which they behave in a place of worship. Upon my first arrival in this country, I was particularly pleased with the conduct of the black congregation at the episcopal church. Not the least noise was to be heard--only the voice of the preacher, and the deep, and apparently heartfelt responses of the people; and during the sermon, the dropping of a pin upon the floor could have been heard, so silent and motionless were they. At particular parts of the service, all were kneeling, with the _appearance_ of the deepest humility. Nearly all the negroes belong to one sect or the other, and keep the outward ordinances of religion with exactness. They all talk of the goodness of God, of their own unworthiness, and their hopes of salvation, &c.; but, alas! among many of them, these are words _only_, as far as their general conduct leads us to conclude. There are others, however, who appear to have benefited by the instructions of their pastors, conducting themselves in a praiseworthy manner, thus giving encouragement to the missionaries,[27] who must feel richly rewarded for their exertions in behalf of this benighted class, and for being made, under the hand of the Almighty, the honoured instruments of snatching them as so many "brands from the burning."
Among the higher order of negroes who have joined respective sects are many who at times officiate as _parsons_ when those of the "cloth" are absent. They bury the dead, (that is, when such event takes place in the country,) read prayers to the sick, or pray extemporaneously, (which is most frequent,) and sometimes preach in the country chapels. I have heard an anecdote related of one of these kind of parsons, who used to be very fond of giving an oration at the grave; or, to shew forth his skill in reading to the astonished multitude, favoured them with a portion from some of his favourite authors. On one occasion, when a minister was about to inter a friend of this black preacher, he asked permission to read an exhortation after the funeral service was performed. This request was immediately granted; and, accordingly, he proceeded to his house, which was near the place of burial, for his books. It took him some time to collect them together, so extensive was his library; at length this important exploit was effected, and he left his house, armed with folios, quartos, and octavos, and proceeded to the grave. To his great surprise, upon his arrival, he found the funeral over, the minister gone, and the mourners dispersed; so, like poor Dominie Sampson, he had to shoulder his volumes and return also.
Perhaps it may afford matter of surprise to some of my readers to hear that the negroes of former days could read or write; but although slave-owners in general opposed the system of opening the book of knowledge to their slaves, it is to the honour of Antigua that she has been the most forward in pursuing a contrary line of conduct, and allowing her negroes the privilege of being taught those necessary qualifications. I am again referring to those dark days of slavery when the negroes were looked upon as little better than cattle; but in this part of my subject, I cannot help remarking what a difference a few years has made with regard to the instruction of the blacks. In former days, as above alluded to, the negroes were purposely kept in ignorance both of spiritual and worldly knowledge; all attempts to inform them were decidedly against the wishes of the proprietors, (I am now speaking of the West Indies generally,) who thought it one step towards insurrection. From this state of darkness and bad policy Antigua was about the first to awake; her efforts were at first but very slow, and her plans but half formed. But now the case is very different: schools abound in all parts of the island, both for young people and adults; there is not a negro who cannot obtain instruction if he wishes, and among the young there are none but the very worthless who cannot read. In the statistical part of this work will be found the number of schools, what sects they belong to, and also the number of children; but besides these, there are a great many private schools where the little black boys and girls who attend are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. The Wesleyans were the first who instituted these schools; they were followed by the Moravians; and upon the appointment of a bishop to this diocese, the church followed their example.
Among the children who are instructed in these various schools, many of them can read fluently, write a good hand, and cast up an account with correctness; but with regard to those who gained their learning at an earlier date, very much cannot be said for their chirography. I have seen some of their writing, however, which is very passable, while others, again, presented the appearance of complete hieroglyphics, and which I should as soon think of interpreting as the characters on the tomb of "Cheops," or a Chinese manuscript. An anecdote is related of a person whose name was Mac Namara; he was considered a superior kind of man for his line, but was not much of a penman, his writing being chiefly confined to the signing his own name. One day, his signature was required in some haste, and taking the pen in hand, he commenced "Macnamamamama," till at length, turning to some person who stood near him, "Brother," says he, "tell me when me done; here, don't you think it looks long enough?." It was his custom, it appears, when signing his name, to look more to the _length_ than the spelling, but being rather flurried on this day, he exceeded his usual limit.
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[27] I include under this term the very zealous and worthy preachers of the Wesleyan sect, and the kind-hearted Moravians, as well as the established clergy.